Correction Officer Celebrates his Spiritual Independence Day

Correction Officer Celebrates his Spiritual Independence Day

MEDIA ADVISORY, July 4 /Christian Newswire/ -- This weekend Independence day will be celebrated by over eleven million people in Ohio. Family and friends will gather together and enjoy this holiday of freedom. However, approximately 50,000 Ohioans may have only an abbreviated celebration because they do not have as much "freedom" as the others.

They are incarcerated.

As the fireworks throughout Northeast Ohio decorate the skies, John Lees will be patrolling one of our correctional facilities. Much like the inmates that John watches over on his patrols during his graveyard shift, he was also once held in a prison of his own.

"I did not think that God would accept me because of my past." John says. His past included a divorce that separated him from his three children and a grudge against God. The guilt and depression that followed these events put him in spiritual bondage. The realization that he may never be able to raise his children was almost unbearable.

One night changed everything.

John decided to pray and seek for the Holy Spirit. His mind was made up that this night he would gain freedom from his past. He had read in the Bible about the Day of Pentecost in the second chapter of Acts. The Holy Spirit was poured out on all the believers and they waited for the promise that Jesus had given. Peter stood up and explained to the multitude the plan of salvation in three easy to understand steps. He told them to repent, be baptized in Jesus name and they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Lees had completed the first two steps years ago and was ready to take the final step. "I always had one foot toward God but the other I was keeping back." The spiritual shackles began to break once John got serious about his prayer life and began fasting by following the spiritual workout in the book, "The 14- Day Spiritual Workout" by Brian H Gaugler.

That night, John received the gift of the Holy Spirit just like the believers on the Day of Pentecost.

Like the day a prisoner is set free into society after years of incarceration, John began to see a whole new world full of opportunities ahead. He looked forward to his daily time spent in prayer and reading the Bible and his marriage has blossomed.

Just a few weeks later he received an unexpected phone call. He was asked to pick up his children for the weekend. It was like a phone call straight from Heaven. Almost three years had past since he was able to spend time with them.

In addition to being thankful for the men and women that sacrificed their lives for our freedom, John will also gives thanks for his spiritual Independence Day.

Brian H. Gaugler B.S.B.A. is a former national bench press champion and certified fitness trainer from Ohio. He is a motivational speaker and Spiritual Coach helping young people build their "spiritual" body. He can be reached at bgaugler@neo.rr.com.